


Adventures from the R. L. S. Phoenix

by animangod



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Airships, Alcohol, F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28709109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animangod/pseuds/animangod
Summary: Fai is Captain of the airship, R.L.S. Phoenix and has called a meeting between him and a handful of his top crew and the newest member. What could this meeting be about?
Relationships: Daidouji Tomoyo & Kurogane, Fay D. Fluorite & Kurogane & Sakura & Syaoran (CLAMP), Fay D. Fluorite/Kurogane
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. Meet me Later

"Ah the sky is lovely tonight," Fai mused as he loosely held the rigging.

The sky was always lovely, Fai thought, but there was something extra magical when the few clouds gleaned color from the sun's farewell for the day. As the sun lowered past the viewable horizon, he moved away from the rigging and towards the ship's stern.

He headed below where most of the crew currently resided. His boots clicked and clacked as he walked, where he paused outside the room of one of the crew. 

"Syaoran?" He called as his knuckles knocked on the door to the study.

"Yes Captain?" Syaoran called out.

"After dinner, meet me on the bridge."

"Yes Captain," Syaoran agreed.

With the confirmation, Fai continued on. He received a few 'evening Captain' as he worked his way through the belly of his airship.

The R.L.S. Phoenix was a work of art as well as an example of fine craftsmanship. He had been Captain of the Phoenix since her completion, having commissioned her from a group of master shipwrights. Only one among his crew had been more involved with her construction than himself. Currently, he knew he would find that man in the kitchen.

Kurogane Suwa was son of the head shipwright and had an intimate knowledge of the ship's making as he worked alongside his father during construction. Even if that was all he knew, he would be a valuable asset, but his knowledge and skills went further than that.

As Fai walked to the door of the kitchen, he saw Watanuki beside the stove while both Doumeki and Kurogane worked in silence, the sound of chopped vegetables in place of conversation.

"What is it?"

Fai wasn't surprised in the least when Kurogane looked up from his task to address him.

"After dinner, join me on the bridge."

There was a quiet grunt that was nearly lost over the sound of a cut carrot, before Kurogane continued to work prep.

Fai expected nothing less from the shipwright and moved on to address the others he wanted to talk with that evening. 

He headed past the main quarters to the engine room, where a petite lady worked, her tools laid in an orderly fashion atop a maintenance cart. The slow hiss of expelled gas left a brief white cloud that wafted out of existence.

"Tomoyo," Fai addressed her, once she was momentarily finished with her task. 

She turned around with a flourished twirl, "Well hello. Doing inspections, Captain?"

"I know my engine is in quite capable hands. No, it is another matter. After dinner, I'm having a meeting with some of the crew on the bridge. I would like you there as well."

"Assuming there is no emergency, I'll be there," she smiled.

"Thank you. Well then, I best let you get back to work."

"Right. See you at dinner, Captain."

"See you there, Tomoyo," he said warmly before he headed out to find the last member he wanted to meet with.

He knew there were a few likely areas she would be at this hour, currently off standard duties and likely either found someone to help out or took a nap to recharge ahead of the evening.

After all, navigation may have a lot of automatic features available for when the sailing is smooth and nearly carefree, but it couldn't chart a course, know how to react to unfavorable weather, or land safely through automation. You needed a Navigator for that. 

And while some crew possessed some or all the skills necessary to be a Navigator, only three had all the necessary skills  _ above _ standard levels. Of those three, Sakura Kinomoto was his first choice, especially when it involved anything important.

After not finding her in the first few locations he thought to check, he finally found her in the conservatory. From edible plants to beautiful flowers and ferns to air cleansers, there was a good variety available.

While those purchases more for their looks were not necessary for food, they helped keep up spirits and that was also important. Fai enjoyed it that little bit more if the name felt witty. Cloudberry, red clover, burning bush and Flame-of-the-woods all had a place somewhere in the conservatory.

He walked closer to Sakura and heard as she softly spoke to the plants while she gave them some water. It was just another reason he adored the lady. No matter how skilled she was, she never let it get to her head and she gave out kindness in spades.

"...oh look, you even have some new growth here," Sakura said as she gently brushed two fingers against part of the plant, "I'm very proud of you."

Fai was sure the plants somehow understood her words and felt her kindness. He smiled fondly at her interaction with the flowers, before he continued to walk up beside her.

"Good evening, Fai," Sakura greeted, her gaze moving from the plants to Fai.

"Evening, Sakura," Fai returned the greeting. "I see you are taking wonderful care of our lovely garden."

She smiled warm like the sun, "Did you come to give them some love as well?"

"I think I will, but ah, firstly, I came to ask you something."

"Oh? What is it, Captain?" 

"I'm having a small meeting on the bridge after dinner. I was hoping you would attend."

"I'll be there," she nodded.

"Thank you." Fai then turned towards the flowers Sakura had been watering. "They look even better than last time I was here."

"They are all doing their best," Sakura replied.

"They certainly are," he agreed.

Fai spent until dinnertime in the conservatory, spreading positive words and water alongside Sakura.

Dinnertime was announced through the intercom system, designed so messages could travel quickly throughout the airship. Watanuki announced the food was ready and to come get in line while Doumeki and Kurogane stuck around to help serve so everyone could get their meal faster. When a crew member had their food in hand, they headed to the mess hall. 

Located right across from the kitchen, the mess hall looked more like a sky Cafe. There were round tables near the see-through panels, able to accommodate several diners and more private, two-seaters located by the far wall - used more often for journaling, small hands-on work or to rest from a headache. Art nouveau styled paintings decorated the walls while the cheaper alcohol was freely available next to what looked like a bar - it was actually a hot beverage station. The full bar was down on the next level.

The curtains were drawn up for the night to let in the view and although there was no assigned seating, some tables had their regular diners. Others flittered from table to table, group to group, depending on if they seeked lively banter, soft conversation, relative peace or just more leg space with their meal.

Fai, as Captain, was one that flittered, sometimes even mid meal. While he had his favorites, he never wanted any of his crew to feel ostracized or left out. If anyone so much as looked lonely, he would be there in an effort to cheer their spirits.

As dinner was served, tables slowly filled up and the sound of hushed conversations, exaggerated stories and fresh gossip soon filled the spaces between food and drink.

Once everyone else had food, Watanuki, Doumeki and Kurogane served themselves before they went to their usual tables. While Doumeki and Watanuki went to join a table with Kohane, Kurogane sat at one of the few slightly taller tables. It was mostly because it was easier on his long legs, he could overhear several tables worth of chatter, but also because Tomoyo was usually there.

Tomoyo was full of wisdom and Kurogane knew she could easily, fluently wax poetry about any piece of technology, put on a dramatic story, converse about fashions they encountered, give personal and thoughtful advice and she was equally a good listener. 

Tonight's conversation featured the newest crew member, Syaoran Li. The young man was quite passionate about ancient architecture and culture, and as Kurogane stepped to the table, he heard that the current topic was about old concrete materials. So, he quietly sat down and listened in.

He hardly cared what the subject was, but anything informative - even the speed that old concrete dried - spoken by someone with passion for the subject became interesting.

As dinner dwindled down to only a few folks with food, board games, dice and cards were brought out while the dishes were returned to the kitchen. From low-stakes gambles to simply a fun way to pass the time, many of those with no work to return to stuck around either to play or watch.

Rather than stick around after they were finished, those requested by Fai to meet him headed out of the mess hall with casual see you laters to those still around. A couple briefly stopped in their quarters first before they headed to the bridge to meet up with their Captain and see what this meeting was about.


	2. Chapter 2

Moonlight further illuminated the bridge, and the clear panels near the controls showed off the world around and below. There were small sandy islands that peeked above the dark color that was the ocean at night.

Charts were pinned up to whatever free wall space there had been while the monitors showed that the airship was currently on autopilot, following a pre-plotted course.

Looking at who else Fai had summoned - the Phoenix's available shipwright, engineer and navigator - it was clear a question over the ship's integrity would be asked. The only one who stuck out was Syaoran. As he had nothing to do with the care of the airship, he stuck out like a white tulip in a field of red ones.

Kurogane silently leaned against one of the walls, just enough to relax without damaging the map behind him. He knew there was no call for having all three of them there unless Fai planned on doing something potentially dangerous to downright reckless and wanted all safety precautions put into place ahead of time.

He never called all three of them for a meeting for being crew of the month, after all, and it was not like it was any of their birthdays and Fai's meeting was an excuse for a private, surprise party. Which he had managed to successfully do, once. His only questions currently were what was it this time and what did their newest member, Syaoran, have to do with any of it?

Tomoyo quietly chatted with Sakura as they waited for Fai to arrive. It wasn't like Fai to be late to a meeting he called and so they reasonably figured he needed to get something first. Meanwhile, the significance of the meeting was lost on Syaoran for the time being, only able to pick up on the serious vibe from the others.

When Fai walked onto the bridge, he had a small crate box in his arms. 

"Sorry for the delay," Fai spoke as the crate in his arms shook a little, which quickly drew everyone's attention.

Fai sat down in one of the few seats on the bridge and set the crate box in his lap, holding it shut as it continued to shake in an effort to free itself from him.

"Several years ago, I bought the current contents of this box. It looked like a half assembled automata and occasionally I would tinker around with it, as it was supposed to be a gift when finished. Rather than a simple automata, it has shown signs of intelligence and an ability to learn.  _ Which _ brings us to the subject of this meeting. I need some expert advice about what it  _ actually _ is, what it is capable of and whether it's safe to keep  _ as is _ aboard my ship."

Well. This was definitely not what any of them thought this meeting was about, and yet… there was a lack of surprise on the crew's part. Kurogane silently pinched his nose bridge while Syaoran looked very curious to see what was inside. Sakura and Tomoyo exchanged looks, but even they couldn't deny they were interested to know more about this non-automata.

"When everyone's ready to see it, I'll open the box."

It did not take any time for Syaoran to walk over, his curiosity piqued, while the two ladies walked on either side of him.

"If this is another cockamamie-" Kurogane grumbled under his breath as he moved from the wall and approached, tall enough to stand behind and peer over Syaoran.

Fai made no comment to Kurogane's grumbles and with everyone close enough to see, he lifted the lid off of the box.

At first glance, the mysterious object appeared to be a very large egg. And then it moved again and it resembled a rabbit - more or less. A beautiful red stone decorated the space above its lenses while what appeared a decorative earring hung on one ear. With its paw-like arms and feet, it made a valiant effort to climb out of the box.

"Is this a  _ real  _ Modo Ki doll?" Syaoran asked, his voice elated.

"Modo Ki?" Sakura asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"Essentially, it means 'in the rough image of the world's life force'. According to Cephiro religion, God birthed the world in the shape of an egg and to honor God, Cephiros made Modo Ki dolls. Each would resemble the shape of an egg when inactive, while there was a stone on the forehead that matched the stone of its earring."

"Wait… so do  _ all _ of these Modo Ki things look like this?" Kurogane asked.

Syaoran nodded, "At least, in theory. This would be my first time seeing one in person. There's no records Cephiro ever sold them so they were believed to all be lost when Cephiro was destroyed."

Kurogane grew quiet after that as Sakura gently scooped up and held the animated doll in her hands while Tomoyo and Syaoran both tried to study it and it continued to move, paws moved although there was nothing for them to use as leverage.

Fai watched over his crew and noticed that while three still held interest in the Modo Ki and its almost pitiful flailings, Kurogane looked like he wasn't all there. That wasn't like him at all, not when it came to ship safety.

Fai leveled his gaze with him, "Something on your mind?"

Kurogane moved his gaze to meet Fai's and he bit his lip before he sighed, "Just… may owe my old man an apology."

“Now why would you owe your father an apology?” Fai asked as he raised a brow.

Kurogane let out a sigh bordering resignation, because as much as he rarely let on about his personal life, valued his privacy, he knew there was no avoiding sharing some of his past in this situation.

“You two - just in case this works, move your fingers away,” Kurogane said. Once Tomoyo and Syaoran's fingers were cleared, he softly uttered, "Mokona, moe mai ra."

The previously lively device shut down, each limb moved into their sealed position until it resembled a large egg once more, and got everyone’s attention on him.

“How did you do that?” Syaoran asked, eyes full of awe.

Kurogane scratched at his nape as he looked off to the side. “… my old man received one of these things years ago, and that always put his to sleep.”

For a moment, only the mechanical hum could be heard as a silence fell across the crew.


	3. Chapter 3

The silence didn't last for much longer than the awe and surprise to fade and turn into several curious questions, especially from Syaoran. As it became rare to have a first or even second hand account of something historic, for a moment, he simply asked at the speed his brain thought of a new question, leaving no time to actually answer any previous question. 

"Oi. Nobody can answer questions that fast."

Syaoran's eyes widened and he began to apologize for asking too many questions when Fai interrupted.

"Kurogane."

Kurogane's attention immediately snapped to Fai since it was so rare he needed to use his name to get his attention.

“What can you tell us about the one your father received?”

Kurogane lightly rubbed the side of his neck before he lowered his hand. “The porkbun’s black and has blue stones instead of white like this one. Um, he knows a few languages. Acts like a kid most the time but sometimes he can be really mature and thoughtful. He can learn things, store and replay recordings of what he hears, so there was no such thing as privacy when he's awake. And well, he’s been missing his other half.”

“His other half?” Sakura asked.

“Mm… If his word is anything to go by, they were always made in pairs and each pair was given to newlyweds. When the couple went different ways, each one kept one of them so they could remain connected, no matter how far apart they were. He remembers going on many trips and even being given away to a new married couple when the couple he was with grew old and one passed away.

"But at some point, they were put to sleep and his other half had their core removed. The core was left with him while the rest was taken away. Considering who had him before my pops, I can imagine why - didn't want to be tracked. Without their core active, they have some basic functions, but they cannot speak, locate another or what he calls his Super Secret Skills."

"Super Secret Skills?" Fai inquired.

"Pretty sure he got the idea that anything useful he does must be called a Super Secret Skill. Like when he answers the call or reminds my old man he's overcooking the rice. Again."

Syaoran ate up every detail because these details never made it to the history books. It also explained why there were no records of any sold. They were never meant to be sold - only gifted.

"How did your Father manage to get one?" Tomoyo asked.

"Mm, he got him as … compensation for one of his ships. It was a prototype, hadn't even been flight safety tested." There was more to the story than that and the reason he felt he owed his father an apology, but it wasn't anything necessary to air to understand the egg shaped Modo Ki in Sakura's arms. "Never seen that particular ship since and after what happened, he never made another ship like it."

"And what happened to the second core? The one belonging to his other half?" Sakura asked as she held the egg closer to her.

"That? The porkbun gave it to me -when he heard I joined the Phoenix, he figured I'd have more luck finding any sign of his other half if I kept it with me. Meanwhile he stayed back at home with my old man."

"Can we see it?" Syaoran requested, eyes full of hope.

Kurogane looked over at Fai to be sure, and he casually shrugged.

"Seems these Modo Kis aren't inherently dangerous, so I don't see why not. It might even belong to this one."

With the confirmation, Kurogane pulled on the braided cord around his neck and pulled out the core by its simple disguise. With a locket and the core wire wrapped to resemble a pendant, it made it look like it was just jewelry. He removed enough wire wrapping to take it off the cord and placed the locket back on before he handed the wire wrapped core to Syaoran.

"Here. I've only managed to figure out one of the materials it's made of. You'll probably do better since you know the land more."

Syaoran accepted it, moved the core gently in his hands to examine it. The core took the shape of a pyramid and as it was intended as both the main function of the Modo Ki and an extension of their belief, the core used materials they believed were powerful conductors and insulators of orgone energy - the energy used to create the cosmos. Laid flat like Kurogane wore it, blue became the dominant color with white and gold making their appearances, but the more he looked over it, the more intricacies it revealed. 

Kurogane felt safe trusting it to their newest member. He knew Syaoran had a background with historic stuff and as the attention was finally off of himself and now of Syaoran, he watched him treat the core like some precious, irreplaceable relic. Which he figured was close enough to true, but it made him feel better about his judgment to see Syaoran demonstrate that reverence.

"Shall we see if it belongs to this Modo Ki?" Tomoyo asked.

"You'll need your tools for that," Fai responded.

"I'll be right back then~" she replied and left with glee in her step.

Sakura continued to hold the Modo Ki while she watched Syaoran study the core. Kurogane took the moment to return to relaxing a little against a wall while they waited to see if the core left with him belonged to the one Fai bought.


End file.
